DEPLOYThe reference layer for physical AI

Deployment

NaoTrac at Rotterdam

Brain Navi Biotechnology (founded 2015 in Zhubei, Taiwan by the surgeon Jerry Chen) makes NaoTrac, a neurosurgical navigation robot that combines a robotic arm with AI-driven non-contact frameless registration to position instruments along pre-planned trajectories for procedures such as biopsy, tumor ablation, external ventricular drainage, stereo-electroencephalography, deep-brain stimulation, and endoscopy. It is a genuine surgical robot with a real robotic manipulator, and it has cleared its gating events across multiple jurisdictions, with Taiwan FDA approval in July 2022, a European CE mark, and US FDA 510(k) clearance in June 2025 as a stereotaxic guiding device. NaoTrac has the highest autonomy of the niche surgical set in this wave, since its AI-driven non-contact frameless registration is autonomous, but that autonomy lies in the navigation and registration step rather than in autonomous cutting or tissue manipulation, and the first-autonomous-neurosurgical-navigation-robot framing is a regulatory and marketing superlative. The registry records it at commercial, leaning early-commercial, maturity: it is cleared across Taiwan, Europe, and the US but remains a small startup with a limited and unverified installed base. For category context, Brainlab's Cirq robotic arm is a separate and legitimate surgical-robot candidate deferred to a follow-on wave, where the entity would be scoped to the Cirq arm rather than Brainlab's broader navigation-software portfolio.

NaoTrac by Brain Navi · Catalog entry · 2 sources · not yet field-verified


Machine-readable surfaces

Footage

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Brain Navi

Brain Navi footage of its NaoTrac surgical-navigation robot for neurosurgery (presented at AANS 2025). Brain Navi markets NaoTrac as an 'Autopilot' and autonomous-navigation robot; this is the maker's claim.

Erasmus MC in Rotterdam became the first site in the Netherlands to use the Brain Navi NaoTrac neurosurgical navigation robot, in July 2024. The inaugural procedure was a brain tumor biopsy performed in under an hour. Erasmus MC is one of Europe's largest university medical centers. The Netherlands deployment is part of Brain Navi's ongoing global expansion from its Taiwan base.

Key facts

Operator
Erasmus MC, Rotterdam
First procedure type
Brain tumor biopsy
First procedure date
July 17, 2024
Procedure duration
Under one hour
Trust tier
Catalog entry · 2 sources · not yet field-verified
Last updated
2026-06-12
Model
NaoTrac
Company
Brain Navi
Location
Rotterdam
Status
operational
First seen
2024-07-17
ID
d5d6945d-e591-4b7e-ac36-68b2a342ddb6

Sources (2)

  1. First procedure in Netherlands with NaoTrac surgical navigation robot is performed at Erasmus MC Rotterdam · https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-procedure-in-netherlands-with-naotrac-surgical-navigation-robot-is-performed-at-erasmus-mc-rotterdam-302199128.html · 2024-07-17
  2. Brain Navi Completes First Procedure in Netherlands Using its NaoTrac Surgical Navigation Robot · https://www.surgicalroboticstechnology.com/news/brain-navi-completes-first-procedure-in-netherlands-using-its-naotrac-surgical-navigation-robot/ · 2024-07-17
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-12

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-12

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: surgical

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for NaoTrac at Rotterdam.

Common questions

What is the NaoTrac deployment at Rotterdam?
NaoTrac, built by Brain Navi, is recorded as a deployment at Rotterdam on the DEPLOY registry. Brain Navi operates the deployment directly.
Who operates NaoTrac at Rotterdam?
Brain Navi, the manufacturer of NaoTrac, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the NaoTrac deployment at Rotterdam go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting July 17, 2024 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the NaoTrac deployment at Rotterdam?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

Deploy Watch

Track this deployment.

We notify you when status changes against primary-source evidence, contract events surface, or a related incident is filed.